The production of polymers is a multi-billion dollar business. This business produces billions of pounds of polymers each year. Millions of dollars have been spent on developing technologies that can add value to this business.
One of these technologies is called metallocene catalyst technology. Metallocene catalysts have been known since about 1958. However, their low productivity did not allow them to be commercialized. About 1974, it was discovered that contacting one part water with one part trimethylaluminum to form methyl aluminoxane, and then contacting such methyl aluminoxane with a metallocene compound, formed a metallocene catalyst that had greater activity. However, it was soon realized that large amounts of expensive methyl aluminoxane were needed to form an active metallocene catalyst. This has been a significant impediment to the commercialization of metallocene catalysts.
Fluoro-organo borate compounds have been use in place of large amounts of methyl aluminoxane. However, this is not satisfactory, since such borate compounds are very sensitive to poisons and decomposition, and can also be very expensive.
Clays having a lamellar structure have also been used to activate metallocenes, however, activity has not been high in the absence of cation exchanging or pillaring agents. Pillaring occurs when cations between the layers are replaced by other cations, usually more bulky and sometimes organic cations, that are called pillars due to their role of propping open the microscopic sheets and thus slightly expanding the layered structure of the clay to slightly increase its porosity. Clay also tends to be fine and dusty making it difficult to handle commercially in polymerization processes.
It should also be noted that having a heterogeneous catalyst is important. This is because heterogeneous catalysts are required for most modern commercial polymerization processes. Furthermore, heterogeneous catalysts can lead to the formation of substantially uniform polymer particles that have a high bulk density. These types of substantially uniform particles are desirable because they improve the efficiency of polymer production and transportation. Efforts have been made to produce heterogeneous metallocene catalysts; however, these catalysts have not been entirely satisfactory.
An object of this invention is to provide a process for producing a new type of high porosity, amorphous, oxide matrix composition comprising residual elements of a layered mineral and an oxide compound precursor. This oxide matrix composition can be utilized as an activator for metallocenes.
Another object of this invention is to provide the novel oxide matrix composition.
Another object of this invention is to provide a process that produces a catalyst composition that can be used to polymerize at least one monomer to produce a polymer.
Another object of this invention is to provide the catalyst composition.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a process comprising contacting at least one monomer and the catalyst composition under polymerization conditions to produce the polymer.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an article that comprises the polymer produced with the catalyst composition of this invention.